Beef. Has Z.I.P.

Experts tell us that helping girls learn how to eat smart and be active during the crucial pre-adolescent years, an important phase in their growth and development, is the right thing to do. Nutrition plays an important role in building a strong body and mind. Alarmingly, less than 1% of teen girls meet the nutrition guidelines of the Food Guide Pyramid .

Beef is an important member of the Pyramid's meat group and provides several key nutrients often lacking in the diets of girls and young women. For example, about 7.8 million adolescent girls and women of childbearing age don't get enough dietary iron, making this one of the leading nutrition deficiencies in the U.S. Beef is one of the best sources of iron in the American food supply.

Self-esteem is another critical factor in adolescent health and can be closely connected to food intake and weight gain. Child physiologists tell us that even preteen girls are dealing with self-esteem issues.These issues have a direct correlation to body image and consequently to what girls eat and how they think about food. Young girls tend to link food to their appearance and avoid healthy food which they think will make them gain weight. In the process, they often omit key nutrients from their diet.

The zip4tweens.com Web site is designed to help kids see the value of eating smart and being physically active. Content and activities on the site can also help them feel good about themselves and confident in what they can accomplish both physically and mentally.